Tag Archives: Samuelson

Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson

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Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson
birth: 1 May 1896 in Miller, Gary, Lake, Indiana to Anders Ludvig “Gust” and Lovisa “Louise” Carlson Johannesson Johnson
death: 25 July 1968 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
burial: Ridgelawn Cemetery, Glen Park, Lake, Indiana

marriage: 16 October 1919 Lake, Indiana
George Bryant Harbaugh
birth: 4 April 1894 in St. Joseph, Indiana to George Frederick and Margaret E. “Maggie” Long Harbaugh
death: 29 December 1954 in LaPorte, LaPorte, Indiana
burial: Ridgelawn Cemetery, Glen Park, Lake, Indiana

Children of Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson and George Bryant Harbaugh:

  • Betty Jean Harbaugh (1922-1988) m. William Louis Samuelson
  • George Willard Harbaugh (1924-2004) m. Dorothy Louise Skogseth
  • Glenn Robert Harbaugh (1928-1995)

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Gary, Lake County, Indiana

Other Information:

Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson was the middle daughter born to immigrants Anders Ludvig “Gust” and Lovisa “Louise” Carlson Johannesson Johnson on 1 May 1896 in Miller, now Gary, Lake, Indiana. Elsie attended the Hobart school system through grade 8, graduating on the Honor Roll on 9 June 1911. She had also received Honor Roll and Reading Awards in previous school years which is a testament to her dedication to her studies. At age 10, Elsie’s father past away leaving her mother to make ends meet by taking in borders. The family attended the Miller Swedish Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church where Elsie received her confirmation on 21 April 1912. She became a member of the Miller Congregational Church, later known as Chapel of The Dunes and received the Cross and Crown Attendance Certificate on 22 December 1912. She found work as a mother’s helper in Miller and met George Bryant Harbaugh who was working as a security guard for the railroad. Their plans for marriage were interrupted when George was mustered into the Infantry to fight overseas in World War I. Elsie kept every letter she received from George. The couple married on 16 October 1919 in Gary, Lake, Indiana. Their first residence was on Michigan Street in Miller which had just become incorporated into Gary. The couple had two children by 1925 when George finished building a Sears kit home at 6209 Miller Avenue. The home, in a box, had been delivered via the nearby railroad. Their last child was born three years later. Elsie was active as a parishioner of Chapel of the Dunes Church, the C.O.P Club, Lake County Chapter No. 80 of the Military Auxilliary of the Purple Heart and with the Order of the Eastern Star. Her association with the Purple Heart came about due to her husband’s World War 1 injuries and must have been difficult during World War 2 when her son, George, was shot down over Italy and taken as a POW by the Germans. Her son was also awarded the Purple Heart. During this time her daughter’s husband received a military medical discharge and was living with Elsie and George Bryant. Elsie’s first grandchild died as an infant and her second was mentally handicapped. On 29 December 1954, her husband George, while working as a fireman at the Kingsburgy Ordinace Plant in LaPorte, died from injuries he received in a fall from the roof a few days earlier. By 1959 she gave her home to her daughter’s growing family and moved around the corner in a smaller home once owned by her son George Willard. Her six remaining grandchildren have fond memories of Elsie. She died on 25 July 1968 at Mercy Hospital, Gary, Lake, Indiana of hypertension. After a funeral service at Chapel of the Dunes arranged by Lach Funeral Home she was buried besides her husband and mother at Ridgelawn Cemetery, Glen Park, Lake, Indiana.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Betty Jean Harbaugh

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Betty Jean Harbaugh
birth: 8 October 1922 in Gary, Lake, Indiana to George Bryant and Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson Harbaugh
death: 30 October 1988 in Angola, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 11 October 1942 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
William “Bill” Louis Samuelson
birth: 14 October 1919 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana to Gustaf “Gust” Teodor and Lulu May Cook Samuelson
death: 5 May 1992 in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Indiana

Children of Betty Jean Harbaugh and William “Bill” Louis Samuelson:

  • William Lewis Samuelson (1944-1944)
  • Lynn Patrice Samuelson (1946-2005)
  • Living
  • Living

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Gary, Lake, Indiana
  • Angola, Steuben, Indiana

Other Information:

Betty Jean Harbaugh, born 8 October 1922, was the oldest of three children born to George Bryant and Elsie Wilhelmina Harbaugh Samuelson. The only daughter, she was christened at the Augsburg Lutheran Church in Porter, Indiana on 18 February 1923. Betty was raised in a Sears kit home built by her father. The family later attended Chapel of the Dunes through 1938. On 13 June 1940, Betty graduated from Emerson High School, Gary, Lake, Indiana. In 1942, Betty was working as a clerk with Carnegie Steel Corporation in Gary, Lake, Indiana. Betty married William “Bill” Louis Samuelson on 5 October 1942 in Lake County, Indiana. The couple had met on a double date; Betty was dating Bill’s younger brother Edwin that evening. It is not known who Bill was dating. On 30 November 1942 Bill entered the Army and was sent to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. He was discharged on 12 October 1943 due to a medical issue. The couple resided with Betty’s parents in Miller, Indiana; Bill found work as a clerk with his sister Margaret’s husband’s family until October 1947. Betty became a homemaker. The couple’s first child died as an infant; their second child was born mentally handicapped. By 1950 the family had moved to Chesterton, Porter, Indiana. Bill was employed as a chemical clerk for Amoco Oil in Whiting, Lake, Indiana. Bill continued to work for Amoco until he retired. By 1955 the couple had returned to live in Miller; they rented an apartment from Bill’s sister, Margaret. Two more children were born to the couple. The family joined the Bethel Lutheran Church in Miller. In 1959, the family moved to Betty’s childhood home as her mother, a widow, wanted a smaller residence. Betty found part time work in the cafeteria at Miller Elementary School while her youngest children were enrolled there. She later found work as an executive secretary for the Indiana Port Commission. In October 1981, where she worked as a recorder at Midwest Steel Corporation, she collapsed due to a pulmonary embolism. Betty and Bill then retired to a home on Snow Lake in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana. Betty died in Angola, Steuben, Indiana on 30 October 1988. She was buried in Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

William “Bill” Louis Samuelson

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William “Bill” Louis Samuelson
birth: 14 October 1919 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana to Gustaf “Gust” Teodor and Lulu May Cook Samuelson
death: 5 May 1992 in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 11 October 1942 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
Betty Jean Harbaugh
birth: 8 October 1922 in Gary, Lake, Indiana to George Bryant and Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson Harbaugh
death: 30 October 1988 in Angola, Steuben, Indiana
burial: Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Indiana

Children of Betty Jean Harbaugh and William “Bill” Louis Samuelson:

  • William Lewis Samuelson (1944-1944)
  • Lynn Patrice Samuelson (1946-2005)
  • Living
  • Living

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Gary, Lake, Indiana
  • Steuben, Indiana

Other Information:

William “Bill” Louis Samuelson, born 14 October 1919 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana was the sixth of seven children born to Gustaf “Gust” Teodor and Lulu May Cook Samuelson. Bill’s mother was a homemaker and his father worked for the railroad as a Steam Shovel Engineer. He was christened at his home on 15 October 1923 by Pastor Fredrick Nordquist. His sponsors were Mrs. Fred. Nordquist and Mrs. Bertha Berg. At the start of the Great Depression, Bill’s father began managing a feed store in Porter County. Bill recalled as an adult that he and his younger brother, Edwin, would be rewarded each Saturday with as much penny candy as they wanted if they had been good all week. Unfortunately, Bill’s dad lost his job and Bill and Edwin were sent to live with their oldest sister, Ruby, and her second husband, Carl Sederberg. Bill later recalled that he did not like farm life. On 11 June 1933 he was confirmed at the Augsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Porter, Indiana. By 1940, Bill resided with another older sister, Margaret, in Chicago, Illinois where he worked fulltime as a car washer for a cab company. By October 1940, Bill was unemployed and had moved back to his parent’s home in Chesterton, Porter, Indiana. Bill had completed two years of high school; he earned a General Equivalency Diploma from Chesterton High School on 25 May 1948. At 19 years of age, Bill was 5′ 11″, weighed 160 pounds, had blue eyes, blonde hair and a light complexion. Bill married Betty Jean Harbaugh on 5 October 1942 in Lake County, Indiana. The couple had met on a double date; Betty was dating Bill’s younger brother Edwin that evening. It is not known who Bill was dating. Bill enlisted in the Army Company A on 30 November 1942 and was assigned to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. He was discharged on 12 October 1943 due to a medical issue. The couple resided with Betty’s parents in Miller, Indiana; Bill found work as a clerk with his sister Margaret’s husband’s family until October 1947. The couple’s first child died as an infant; their second child was born mentally handicapped.By 1950 the family had moved to Chesterton, Porter, Indiana. Bill was employed as a chemical clerk for Amoco Oil in Whiting, Lake, Indiana. Bill continued to work for Amoco until he retired. By 1955 the couple had returned to live in Miller; they rented an apartment from Bill’s sister, Margaret. Two more children were born to the couple. The family joined the Bethel Lutheran Church in Miller. In 1959, the family moved to Betty’s childhood home as her mother, a widow, wanted a smaller residence. The family continued to reside their until circa 1979 when Bill and Betty retired to a home on Snow Lake in Fremont, Steuben, Indiana. Betty died in Angola on 30 October 1988. Bill died at his home on Snow Lake in Fremont, Indiana on 5 May 1992. The couple are buried in Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter, Indiana.

Bill’s middle name is shown in records as both Louis and Lewis. He told the submitter that it was a “family” name. There was a Lewis Warren Thompson on his maternal line but it appears his preferred spelling was Louis, as noted on his WW2 draft registration.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Mary Thompson

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Mary Thompson
birth: 9 September 1861 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois to Thomas Coke and Drusilla DeWolf Thompson
death: 25 February 1942 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona
burial: Burstrom Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 11 May 1882 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Andrew Cook
birth: 27 July 1859 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois to John and Mary O’Brien Cook
death: 3 February 1944 in Chesterton, Porter, Indiana
burial: Burstrom Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Mary Thompson and Andrew Cook:

  • Lulu May Cook (1883-1968) m. Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson
  • Grace Gertrude Cook (1886-1962) m. John Henry Honaker
  • John Thompson “Jack” Cook (1887-1967) m. Hilda Albertina “Snooky” Gustafson
  • William DeWolf Cook (1890-1945) m. Helen Anna Curran
  • James Andrew Cook (1893-1906)
  • Drucilla E. Cook (1897-1897)
  • Whitney Calvin Cook (1902-1924)

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Chesterton, Porter, Indiana

Other Information:

Mary Thompson, born 9 September 1861 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois was the daughter of Thomas Coke and Drusilla Williams DeWolf Thompson. Both of Mary’s parents had been married previously. Thomas Coke, whose first wife’s name may have been Elizabeth, had six sons, four who died as infants and one within weeks after mustering out of the Civil War. Drusilla had one son, John Calvin DeWolf, from her first marriage to Calvin DeWolf. It is likely that both of Mary’s parents knew each other in Lansingburgh, Troy, New York where their first marriages occurred. Thomas and Drusilla married in Chicago on 15 July 1857; Mary was the third of possibly four children born to that union. Mary’s birth was recorded in the family Bible. Her birth date and location were confirmed when she was an adult and became a member of the Augsburg Lutheran Church in Porter County, Indiana. In 1870, Mary is found with her parents and two older brothers attending school in Chicago’s Ward 10. She continued to reside with her parents in Maywood, Illinois in 1880 but had completed her education, having attended school for 8 years. On 10 May 1882 at 261 Forquier Street in Chicago, Mary married Andrew Cook. The couple had three daughters and four sons. Youngest daughter Drucilla, likely named after Mary’s mother, died as an infant. Son James was killed as an 11 year old by a train on his way home from school. Youngest child Whitney, died at age 22 of hemmoraghe from a tantric ulcer. It is not known for certain when the family relocated to Porter County, Indiana, but Mary can be found there with the children in 1900. Andrew remained in Chicago as a boarder working as a blacksmith. Several records have been found that show Andrew selling lots in the Cook Waverly subdivision so it is possible that Mary maintained a household in Porter County to oversee the land purchases. There is no record of Mary being employed outside of the home. In 1910, the family is found reunited in Westchester, Porter, Indiana. By 1920, the family had moved closer to Andrew’s job in Gary, Lake, Indiana. The couple did not stay long in Gary; shortly after Whitney’s death there Andrew and Mary are found in Valparaiso, Indiana. By 1930 the couple had returned to live in Chesterton, Porter County. They remained in Westchester through 1940. After selling their home they traveled to Illinois and Ohio to visit relatives and to winter in Florida where they reported that they saw the president and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. In December 1941, Mary and Andrew traveled to Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona to visit their son John who had relocated there. She became ill from the flu and died of broncho pneumonia on 25 February 1942. Mary’s body was returned to Indiana for burial in Burstrom Cemetery in Porter County.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Andrew Cook

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Andrew Cook
birth: 27 July 1859 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois to John and Mary O’Brien Cook
death: 3 February 1944 in Chesterton, Porter, Indiana
burial: Burstrom Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 11 May 1882 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois
Mary Thompson
birth: 9 September 1861 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois to Thomas Coke and Drusilla Williams DeWolf Thompson
death: 25 February 1942 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona
burial: Burstrom Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Mary Thompson and Andrew Cook:

  • Lulu May Cook (1883-1968) m. Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson
  • Grace Gertrude Cook (1886-1962) m. John Henry Honaker
  • John Thompson “Jack” Cook (1887-1967) m. Hilda Albertina “Snooky” Gustafson
  • William DeWolf Cook (1890-1945) m. Helen Anna Curran
  • James Andrew Cook (1893-1906)
  • Drucilla E. Cook (1897-1897)
  • Whitney Calvin Cook (1902-1924)

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Chesterton, Porter, Indiana

Other Information:

There are only two records of Andrew Cook’s birth on 27 July 1859 in Chicago, Illinois. The first is a baptism record from Old St. Mary Church in Chicago, Illinois. The second was made by the Augsburg Lutheran Church in Porter County, Indiana when he and his wife, Mary, became parishioners. Andrew was likely the son of John Cook of Scotland, a Protestant, and Mary “Molly” O’Brien, an Irish Catholic, who had met in New York City after emigrating from their native countries. Andrew’s parents settled in Chicago in 1854 and had three children, Andrew being the youngest. Family legend states the couple agreed that any sons would be raised Protestant and any daughters, as Roman Catholics. Records have been found, however, that both sons and daughter were baptized as infants in the Roman Catholic Church. The sons and their lines did join Protestant denominations while the daughter’s line did follow the Roman Catholic faith. In 1860, Andrew was found living with his inferred parents and siblings in Chicago Ward 1. The family is not found in the 1870 US federal census but they were found in Chicago City Directories between 1870-1875. In 1880, Andrew was noted to be a single engineer living on West Congress Street in Chicago. On 11 May 1882 in Chicago he married Mary Thompson. The couple would go on to have three daughters and four sons. Tragically, they lost their youngest daughter, Drucilla, likely named after her maternal grandmother, as an infant. Son James was killed in a train accident on the way home from school as an 11 year old. Youngest son Whitney died at age 22 of a hemorrhage from a tantric ulcer. By 1900, Andrew and Mary had purchased a home in Westchester, Portage, Indiana. Andrew continued to live in Chicago where he was employed as a blacksmith. By 1910, Andrew had relocated to live with Mary in Westchester and was employed as an engineer. By 1920, Andrew, Mary and Whitney were living in Gary, Lake, Indiana where he was working as a machinist for the nearby steel mills. Andrew sold a lot in Cook’s Waverly subdivision in Porter County to David L. Atkinson on 28 September 1927 for $1.00 and a lot to Samuel Goldman on 13 October 1927 for $10.00. He continued working as a machinist in the mill in 1930 but had relocated back to Weschester, Porter County. The couple enjoyed a two week trip to Akron, Ohio in July 1931. Retired by 1940, Andrew and Mary sold their Westchester home and traveled to Illinois and Ohio to visit relatives and spend the winter in Florida where the saw the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the President. Mary died in Phoenix, Arizona where she had been visiting for 3 months on 25 February 1942 of broncho pneumonia from influenza. The couple was likely visiting their son John who had relocated there. Andrew returned to Porter County and died at his daughter Lulu’s home on 3 February 1944. His obituary noted he was a 45 year resident of Chesterton. He is buried in Burstrom Cemetery, Porter, Indiana.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Lulu May Cook

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Lulu May Cook
birth: 15 August 1883 in Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois to Andrew and Mary Thompson Cook
death: 14 October 1968 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 3 December 1904 in Baileytown, Chesterton, Indiana
Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson
birth: 29 April 1879 in Baileytown, Chesterton, Porter, Indiana to Samuel August and Maria Svendsotter/Swanson Samuelson
death: 9 October 1947 in San Bernardino, California
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Lulu May Cook and Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson:

  • Ruby Mae Samuelson (1907-2003) m. 1st. Charles Kenneth Lindell m. 2nd Carl Mitchell Sederberg
  • Lester Gustaf Samuelson (1908-1978)
  • Arline Marie Samuelson (1910-1969) m. Milton Richard Danderson
  • Margaret Samuelson (1912-1982) m. Earle Charles Heritage
  • Carolyn “Loretta” Lucile Samuelson (1916-1932)
  • William Lewis Samuelson (1919-1992) m. Betty Jean Harbaugh
  • Edwin Donald Samuelson (1921-1993) m. Lorraine Maleski

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Gary, Lake, Indiana

Other Information:

Lulu May Cook Samuelson was the oldest of seven children born to Andrew and Mary Thompson Cook. Born on the 15 August 1883 in Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois, Lulu attended 8 years of schooling and was found in the 1900 US federal census as a 15 year old boarder living in Westchester, Porter, Indiana where she was employed a cord maker at the Warren Featherbone Factory, also known as Three Oaks. The plant was known for stripping turkey feathers of their quills to use in women’s garments of the era, such as corsets. Lulu’s mother, Mary, and her siblings were also residing in a home they owned in Porter County in 1900. Father Andrew remained in Chicago as a boarder, working as a blacksmith. It is not known why the family relocated to Porter County. On 3 December 1904, Lulu married in Baileytown, Chesterton, Porter, Indiana Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson. She was noted in all further records as being employed as a housewife. The couple would go on to have four daughters and three sons with daughter Loretta, a piano virtuoso, dying unexpectedly at age 16. Lulu’s husband also died unexpectedly, in 1947 on a visit the couple had made to San Bernardino, California to visit their married daughter Arlene. After Gust’s death, Lulu continued to live in Westchester, Indiana in the home she owned. After daughter Margaret’s husband died in 1954, Lulu spent the summers at a lake near Middlebury, Indiana where her daughter ran a grocery store. She enjoyed playing card games, such as pinochle, and Scrabble, after dinner with family and friends. During the winter months, she lived in an apartment building in Miller, Indiana next door to her daughter, Margaret. It was there that she died on 14 October 1968 of generalized arteriosclerosis. Edmonds Funeral Home provided the arrangments. She was buried next to her husband in Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana.

Lulu’s death certificate noted that the informant was her son, William, who resided at 5242 Miller Avenue. That information is incorrect. William had once resided at that address but had moved with his family to 6209 Miller Avenue. In grief, he must have provided his old address instead of his then current one.
William had recalled to this bio submitter that his sister Loretta was a piano virtuoso who had planned on touring when she came of age.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Gustaf Teodor “Gust” Samuelson

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Gustaf Teodor “Gust” Samuelson
birth: 29 April 1879 in Baileytown, Chesterton, Porter, Indiana to Samuel August and Maria Svensdotter/Swanson Samuelson
death: 9 October 1947 San Bernardino, California
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 3 December 1904 in Baileytown, Chesterton, Indiana
Lulu May Cook
birth: 15 August 1883 in Melrose Park, Cook, Illinois to Andrew and Mary Thompson Cook
death: 14 October 1968 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Lulu May Cook and Gustaf Teodor “Gust” Samuelson:

  • Ruby Mae Samuelson (1907-2003) m. 1st Charles Kenneth Lindell m. 2nd Carl Mitchell Sederberg
  • Lester Gustaf Samuelson (1908-1978)
  • Arline Marie Samuelson (1910-1969) m. Milton Richard Danderson
  • Margaret Samuelson (1912-1982) m. Earle Charles Heritage
  • Carolyn Loretta Lucile Samuelson (1916-1932)
  • William Lewis Samuelson (1919-1992) m. Betty Jean Harbaugh
  • Edwin Donald Samuelson (1921-1993) m. Lorraine Maleski

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Baileytown, Chesterton, Porter, Indiana

Other Information:

The fourth son of six children born to Samuel August and Maria Svensdotter/Swanson Samuelson on 29 April 1879 in Baileytown, Chesterton, Porter, Indiana, Gustaf “Gust” Teodor Samuelson was only 11 months old when his mother died. In 1880, he was named August on the US Federal Census though no other records show him recorded with that name. In 1900, no occupation is listed for him; he was residing with an older sister Ida and his father, Samuel, who was a farmer. The categories for read/write/speak English were left blank though family and later records show he could perform all three and had attended school for at least 4 years. Gust was of medium height and build with blue eyes and light hair color. Gust married Lulu May Cook on 3 December 1904 in Baileytown. The couple would live in Baileytown throughout their lives and have four daughters and three sons. Although no records remain to show what career Gust had at the time of his marriage and first child, by December 1908 when his second child was born, Gust was a Fireman. He continued to work as a fireman in 1912, renting a house in Westchester, Porter, Indiana. By October 1912, Gust was employed as a Steam Shovel Engineer. In October 1916 he was a coal sampler. In 1918 he was known to be working as a Steam Shovel Engineer for the Michigan Central Railroad. By 1920, the family owned a home and in 1921 he continued to work as a Steam Shovel Engineer. At the start of the Great Depression in 1930, Gust managed a feed store. Daughter Loretta, a piano virtuoso, died unexpectedly in July 1932 of peri and endocarditis. Gust operated a gas crane for the railroad in 1940. On a vacation with his wife, Lulu, to San Bernardino, California, on 9 October 1947 to visit his married daughter Arlene, Gust died of a coronary embolism. At the time of his death he was employed by the Indiana State Highway Department as a fireman in Chesterton. Through the assistance of the Flynn-Lundbrg Funeral Home in Chesterton, Gust was buried in Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Maria Svensdotter Swanson

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Maria Svensdotter Swanson
birth: 17 September 1849 in Svenarum, Jonkoping Sweden to Sven Gustaf and Stina Gundmundsdotter Johannesson
death: 19 March 1880 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 10 January 1871 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana
Samuel August Samuelson
birth: 3 January 1839 in Stora Haddebo, Västra Harg, Östergötland, Sweden to Samuel and Anna Elisabet “Lisa” Torstensdotter Erickson
death: 14 January 1908 in Chesterton, Porter, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Maria Svensdotter Swanson and Samuel August Samuelson:

  • Johan Viktor “John Victor” Samuelson 1872-1921 Hilda Josefina Charlson
  • John Louis “Louie” Samuelson 1873-1919 Sophia Rebecca Swanson
  • Alfreda Frederika Samuelson 1874-1881
  • Ada Emilia Samuelson 1876-1955 Sven “Sam” Oscar Edward Charlson
  • August “Gust” Theodore Samuelson 1877-1879
  • Gustaf Theodore “Gust” Samuelson 1879-1947 Lulu May Cook

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Baileytown, Porter, Indiana

Other Information:

Maria was the youngest child of six children born to Sven Gustaf and Stina Gundmundsdotter Johannesson on 17 September 1849 in Svenarum, Jonkoping Sweden. The family emigrated to the US separately. Brothers Johannes, who changed his last name to Sandstedt when he left Sweden, and Anders departed Jönköping on 14 May 1869 for Chicago. Johannes left behind his pregnant wife and son who followed later. On 28 May 1869, Sven Gustaf emigrated from Göteborg, Göteborg Och Bohus, Sweden. The record is not clear as to who may have accompanied him to LaPorte, Indiana. The number 3 is listed on his line; it is possible he brought his wife and daughter Maria. Johanna, who had married Claus Peterson in 1866, emigrated with her husband and two children before 15 September 1870 when they are found in the federal census. Daughter Inga departed Rössby Mellangård, Sweden with her husband, Pehr Isaksson, and daughter Hulda on 11 September 1870. Carolina is shown emigrating on 2 August 1872 with her parents, who may have returned to Sweden to bring her to the US. Maria worked as a housekeeper for her future husband, Samuel August Samuelson, in 1870; also in the household was Matilda Sophia Johnson, who would soon wed Carl Gustaf Johnson, Samuel’s cousin. According to family stories, Maria and Samuel received a marriage license on 10 January 1871 and were wed at her parents’ home in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana on 17 February 1871 by J. P. Nyquist. Records confirm the dates but not that the wedding occurred at her parents’ home. The couple quickly started a family of six children, four boys and two girls. Maria died on 19 March 1880 in Bailytown at age 30, leaving behind a husband and children ranging in ages from 11 months to 10 years. She was buried in Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana.

Since Porter County, Indiana death index was not begun until 1884 and vital records were not implemented in Indiana until 1882, no cause of death is known for Maria Swanson Samuelson.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Samuel August Samuelson

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Samuel August Samuelson
birth: 3 January 1839 in Stora Haddebo, Västra Harg, Östergötland, Sweden to Samuel and Anna Elisabet “Lisa” Torstensdotter Erickson
death: 14 January 1908 in Chesterton Township, Porter, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

marriage: 10 January 1871 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana
Maria Svensdotter/Swanson
birth: 17 September 1849 in Svenarum, Jonkoping Sweden to Sven Gustaf and Stina Gundmundsdotter Johannesson
death: 19 March 1880 in Baileytown, Porter, Indiana
burial: Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana

Children of Maria Svensdotter/Swanson and Samuel August Samuelson:

  • Johan Viktor “John Victor” Samuelson 1872-1921 Hilda Josefina Charlson
  • John Louis “Louie” Samuelson 1873-1919 Sophia Rebecca Swanson
  • Alfreda Frederika Samuelson 1874-1881
  • Ada Emilia Samuelson 1876-1955 Sven “Sam” Oscar Edward Charlson
  • August “Gust” Theodore Samuelson 1877-1879
  • Gustaf Theodore “Gust” Samuelson 1879-1947 Lulu May Cook

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Chesterton Township, Porter, Indiana

Other Information:

Immigrant Samuel August Samuelson was the third son and fourth child of Samuel and Anna Elisabet “Lisa” Torstensdotter Erickson born on 3 January 1839 in Stora Haddebo, Västra Harg, Östergötland, Sweden. He also had an older step-brother, Carl Gustaf Johnson, from Lisa’s first relationship and two younger half-sisters, Anna Stina and Anna Sophia, from his father’s second marriage to Maria Helena Magdalena Larsdotter. Due to the patronymic style in use at the time of Samuel’s birth, his father’s first name became Samuel’s surname. Samuel, along with his parents, sister and brother Anders Fredrik emigrated from Sweden to Porter County, Indiana on 10 May 1851. After living for a year in Chicago, Illinois, the family made their way to Porter County, Indiana where Samuel’s step-brother had settled in 1849. His brother, Johan Peter, joined the family in Porter County in 1854. The family is found in the 1860 US Federal census misnamed with the surname Axen; perhaps the enumerator could not understand the word Erickson and assumed everyone in the family used the same surname. Samuel’s age is correctly listed as 21, however, his first name is missing; it is shown by quotation marks under the listing for his older brother, Johan Peter. On 16 August 1862, Samuel enlisted as a Private for the Union in the 73rd Indiana Infantry Regiment, Company E where he was described as 5 foot 4.5 inches tall, with a light complexion, blue eyes and light hair. He was promoted to Corporal on 12 December 1863. Samuel saw much action at Stone River, Perryville, and Murfreesboro where he received a severe shoulder injury due to a gunshot wound on 31 December 1862. He was hospitalized for 3 days in Nashville, Tennessee. He continued to serve but on 3 May 1863 near Cedar Bluff, Alabama he was captured as a prisoner of war and taken to Richmond, Virginia. On 15 May 1863 he was traded in a prisoner exchange at City Point, Virginia and taken to Camp Parole, Maryland on 18 May 1863. Due to the severity of reinjuring his shoulder, he was mustered out on 28 May 1863. He returned to Indiana where he struggled for three years to regain the use of his arm. He became a farmer like his father, owning 219 acres, and an active member of his community by his association with the Swedish Lutheran Church and the Republican Party. He became a naturalized citizen in 1867. Samuel wed on 10 January 1871 Maria Svensdotter/Swanson at her parents’ Baileytown, Porter, Indiana home. The couple had four sons and two daughter, four who lived to adulthood. Maria died in 1880; her youngest child, Gustaf Theodore, was only 11 months old. Samuel received a Civil War pension in 1895; it was renewed in both 1900 and 1901. Samuel’s accidental death was a tragic loss for the community. At age 69, he was driving a sleigh with friend, David Kastler, across the Pere Marquette railroad crossing when they were hit by a fast train and killed instantly. He was buried in Augsburg Lutheran Cemetery, Porter, Indiana.

Weston A. Goodspeed, Historical Editor and Charles Blanchard, Biographical Editor. Counties of Porter and Lake Historical and Biographical Illustrated, Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co, 1882. p. 310.
Porter County, Indiana Biographical Sketches erroneously lists Samuel’s middle initial as “E.”

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson

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Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson
birth: 1 May 1896 in Miller now Gary, Lake, Indiana to Anders Ludvig “Gust” and Lovisa “Louise” Carlson Johannesson/Johnson
death: 25 July 1968 in Gary, Lake, Indiana
burial: Ridgelawn Cemetery, Gary, Lake, Indiana

marriage: 16 October 1919 Lake, Indiana
George Bryant Harbaugh
birth: 4 April 1894 in St. Joseph, Indiana to George Frederick and Margaret E. “Maggie” Long Harbaugh
death: 29 December 1954 in LaPorte, LaPorte, Indiana
burial: Ridgelawn Cemetery, Gary, Lake, Indiana

Children of Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson and George Bryant Harbaugh:

  • Betty Jean Harbaugh 1922-1988 William Lewis Samuelson
  • George Willard Harbaugh 1924-2004 Dorothy Louise Skogseth
  • Glenn Robert Harbaugh 1928-1995

Ancestor here lived in:

  • LaPorte, LaPorte, Indiana
  • Gary, Lake, Indiana

Other Information:

Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson was the daughter of Anders Ludvig “Gust” Johannesson and his second wife, Lovisa “Louise” Carlson. Anders changed his name to Gust Johnson after arriving in the U.S. from Norra Vi, Östergötland, Sweden, on 14 March 1882 with his first wife, Thilda “Anna Matilda” Johansdotter, and six children. Gust and Anna had four more children born in Lake, Indiana before she died. Gust married second on 16 September 1893 in Miller, now Gary, Lake, Indiana. Elsie was the middle child of three daughters from that union. Gust, a laborer on the railroad, died when Elsie was 10. Louise took in boarders. Elsie attended school in Miller which was under the direction of the Hobart, Lake, Indiana school district. She commenced her education in grade 8 on 9 June 1911. Elsie struggled in Algebra and excelled in all other subjects. A member of the Swedish Bethel Lutheran Church in Miller, Elsie attended the Miller Congregation Sunday School; she was confirmed on 21 April 1912. At the time she began dating her future husband, George Bryant Harbaugh, Elsie was employed as a mother’s helper to a Mrs. Meyers in Miller. Elsie and George Bryant had discussed marriage, however, WWI got in the way. Elsie lovingly saved each letter George Bryant wrote home to her during his wartime service in Europe. How frightening it must have been for her as she learned time and time again he had been injured and was recuperating in a base hospital, especially knowing that other Miller boys had been killed. George Bryant had purchased a camera for Elsie and she dutifully took photos of his Miller friends, hoping to cheer him. On 22 May 1919 Elsie received a telgram that George Bryant had made it back to the U.S. safely. The couple were wed by Edward Stark on 16 October 1919 in Lake, Indiana during a violent time in the community; a labor strike had shut down all work at U.S. Steel Corporation. George Bryant and Elsie purchased their first home on Michigan Avenue in the Miller section of Gary, next door to her mother and sister, Helen and five homes away from her sister Ruth who had married Bert Thompson. The couple purchased a Sears & Roebuck model home, the Westly, for $2,614.00 and had it delivered by railroad. George Bryant assembled the two story home and in 1925,the family moved in. Three children were born within six years, all were baptized at Augustana Lutheran Church. Since George Bryant had become a City of Gary fireman, the family was largely unaffected by the Great Depression. Luckily, the firehouse was just down the street from their new home. Elsie was a homemaker while George Bryant worked his way up to Lieutenant with the fire department. During WW2, the couple’s middle child, George Willard, was injured in a plane crash over Italy and became a POW. Like his father, George WIllard returned home to Indiana and had earned a Purple Heart. Elsie became a widow on 29 December 1954 when George Bryant died from a pulmonary embolism and pneumonia after a fall from a ladder while working as a fireman for the Kingsbury Ordnance Plant in LaPorte, LaPorte, Indiana. After his death, Elsie moved to a smaller home behind her son Glenn’s home on Miller Avenue in Gary. Her daughter, Betty, and Betty’s family, have moved into the Sear’s kit home. For a time, son George Willard also lived in the neighborhood on Howard Street. Elsie was fondly remembered by her grandchildren and dearly missed when she died of hypertension on 25 July 1968 in Gary, Lake, Indiana. A funeral service was arranged by Lach Funeral Home and conducted by Reverence C. Earl Page at the Chapel of the Dunes, Gary, Lake, Indiana. She was interred at Ridgelawn Cemetery in the Glen Park neighborhood of Gary next to her husband in Section 9, Lot 377, Grave 2 South.

For further information on Elsie Johnson and the Harbaugh family:
Lori Samuelson. Perseverence Amidst Adversity: The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs. Amazon ebook, 2016.
Contact the submitter for a transcription of The Diary of Mary Ann Eyster Johnson. Submitter is currently working on an ebook about George Bryant’s military service during WW1.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com